Bachelor of Arts in International Relations

In the International Relations major, students take core courses in political science, economics, and history and undertake interdisciplinary work in areas such as languages, cultural studies, or communications. The major aims to provide students with the instruments and techniques to analyze complex phenomena in the era of globalization.

The International Relations with an Emphasis in Political Economy major is designed for students interested in the broad field of international relations but who wish to have a stronger focus on issues of political economy that have become critical in today’s globalized world. The interdisciplinary electives also encourage students to explore related fields such as business, where politico-economic issues play an important role.

The IR-PE major provides a solid foundation for a variety of careers and graduate study in areas such as diplomatic service, international organizations, international business, journalism, law, and banking. The discipline of political economy is increasingly becoming a fundamental component of graduate business and management programs.

Foundation Courses (15 Credits)

• POL 100 Introduction to Political Science

• POL 101 Introduction to International Relations

• POL 112 Markets, Policy, and Administration

• HIS 105 Global History II: Globalization, the Emergence of the Modern State, and Coping with Change

• SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology

Required Courses (12 Credits)

• POL 300 Comparative Politics

• POL 301 Theories of International Relations

• POL 321 International Organization

• POL 377 International Political Economy

Capstone Requirement (6 Credits)

• POL 497 Readings and Methods in Political Science and International Relations

• POL 499 Senior Thesis

Departmental Electives (12 Credits)

Choose four of the following:

• Any POL 200-level course (POL 2XX)

• Any POL 300-level course (POL 3XX)

• Any language at the 301 level

Interdisciplinary Electives (6 Credits)

Choose any course at 200-level or above in HIS or ECN, or select from the following:

• AHT 218T Harbor Cities: Architecture, Vision, and Experience

• AHT 361 The Visual Culture of Disaster

• BUS 410 Organizational Behavior and Leadership

• COM 301 Globalization and Media

• COM 302 Intercultural Communication: Theory, Research, and Practice

• CLCS 330 The Politics of Mobility: Exile and Immigration

• CLCS 350 Culture and Human Rights

• ECN 225 Issues and Controversies in Macroeconomics (Intermediate Macroeconomics)

• ECN 256 Managerial Economics (Intermediate Microeconomics)

• ECN 303 Development Economics

• ECN 305 Economics of the European Union

• ECN 330T Neo-liberal India: Globalization and Development

• ECN 331T Sustainable Economic Development

• ECN 341 International Trade

• ECN 355 Political Economy: Theories and Issues

• ENV 200 Understanding Environmental Issues

• ENV 230T Freshwater Conservation

• ENV 282T Tourism and the Environment: Iceland

• GER 374 Strangers in Paradise?: Historical and Cultural Texts on Immigration into Switzerland

• Any HIS course at 200-level or above (HIS XXX)

• MAT 200 Calculus

• MAT 201 Introduction to Statistics

• PSY 201 Social Psychology

• PSY 220 Multicultural Psychology